


Sticks and Stones

by deareli



Series: HTTYD Modern Day [1]
Category: How to Train Your Dragon (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Based on personality, Basically Hiccup having friends who care about him, Clothing, Fluff, Friendship, OT6, Sort Of, The dragons are all different animals, it's all platonic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-09
Updated: 2020-03-10
Packaged: 2021-03-01 04:13:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,747
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23079157
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/deareli/pseuds/deareli
Summary: Hiccup's friends all care about him, in their own way.((Title is 'Sticks and Stones' by Jonsi))
Series: HTTYD Modern Day [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1660351
Comments: 8
Kudos: 58





	1. Fishlegs - Hoodie

**Author's Note:**

> hey all! this is just a short and sweet fic that i figured will only take me a few days to finish.  
> i've never read a modern au for httyd so i'm going completely by what i think
> 
> the dragons are all different animals based on their personalities more than anything else :)  
> also i know technically astrid was the first one to believe in hiccup after the flight scene but i feel like he and fishlegs have a lot more in common as friends so i feel like they would have bonded more first.  
> the kids are all 15-16 years old in this 
> 
> sorry for any oocness! hope you enjoy <3

Hiccup realised pretty early on that his friends were weird.

Despite growing up friendless, with no one to keep him company until his cat Toothless came along, Hiccup now had friends surrounding him and his father actually noticing him. Slowly, he had earned his own ‘circle’ of friends his age, starting with Fishlegs and eventually ending with Snotlout – his cousin.

Despite being small, bony and weak, his friends began to look to him to lead them on their adventures – and Hiccup found he could safely be himself around them after a few months of awkwardly hanging behind them.

Fishlegs was the first one to befriend him.

A year after Hiccup had hurt, met and then healed Toothless – his black cat with only three legs and a prosthetic – as well as his own accident that cost him a leg, he and Fishlegs were paired together for an assignment. They ended up acing it after working together, and Fishlegs had realised how fun Hiccup was to be around. The two would stick around together after class and it eventually lead them to find a huge but sweet pitbull that Fishlegs eventually named Meatlug.

The dog had been hurt and starved and left alone to fend for herself, but Hiccup eventually coaxed her to them. She allowed them to help her, and soon enough she became Fishleg’s new animal companion. The entire incident had shown just how thoughtful and caring Hiccup was, and it created a protective instinct within Fishlegs – one that called him to protect his new, tiny friend.

Like now.

The two had decided to walk to Astrid’s house for the gang’s weekly movie night and while it wasn’t too far from Hiccup’s house, it was still quite the distance. And to make matters worse, the temperature had dropped to something below bearable.

Fishlegs was fine, he was big and he had covered himself in warm clothes, but Hiccup was not. For some insane reason, the smaller boy was dressed in a thin sweater and scarf. He had claimed he wasn’t cold – even Stoick had agreed that it was too cold for just a sweater – but his shivering told Fishlegs otherwise.

“Cold?” Fishlegs asked, knowing what the answer would be.

After all, Hiccup had said he wasn’t cold three times now. “I’m _fine_ ‘Legs,” the Haddock ground out, teeth chattering as his hands rubbed his arms. “You’ve asked four times now.”

“Three,” Fishlegs corrected, sharing a worried glance with Meatlug, who had accompanied them. Toothless was currently sat on her back, fast asleep. Even the cat had a sweater on him, keeping him warm despite the fur covering him.

“Fine, three, whatever! I’m _fine_! And if you ask again, I’ll-“ Hiccup cut himself off, eyebrows furrowing as he struggled to think of a threat. “I’ll take away your astronomy books again.”

That was a credible threat. Hiccup had done that before, when Fishlegs had gone three days without sleep when he had gotten a new book. It took a week of apologising, promising not to do it again and letting himself rest to get them back. His friend could be as stubborn – or even more so – as his father.

But, this time, Fishlegs wouldn’t back down. He slipped off his red hoodie, pushing it at Hiccup and forcing him to stop walking. “I’ll take away your art supplies, Hiccup,” he threatened, keeping his face stony. The only way to get Hiccup to listen to him would be to out-wit and out-stubborn him. “Please. You’re only hurting yourself.”

The smaller teen blinked, looking up at Fishlegs and then down to the hoodie, before rolling his eyes and letting out a sigh. He did have a need to be dramatic, at times, but truthfully he was thankful that Fishlegs cared about him.

Hiccup took the hoodie, relishing the warmth in his hands, before slipping it over his head and letting it drop over his body. Fishlegs was almost three times his size, so it absolutely swamped him, but he didn’t mind. In fact, he was grateful for it – it was already warming him up.

“Aw-!” Fishlegs cooed, unable to help himself. “You’re already looking warmer! Looks like you’ll get to keep your art supplies after all.”

Hiccup laughed, a small sound yet more cheerful than he had sounded all day. “Thanks, Fishlegs,” he said, punching the boy lightly in the arm as he continued walking to Astrid’s.

The two eventually arrived, knocking on the door and having only seconds before it opened to reveal Astrid Hofferson herself, dressed in the warmest clothes she owned, a big smile on her face. She looked them both up and down, her eyes lingering on Hiccup for a bit, before she smirked and turned to Fishlegs.

“He tried to brave the cold again?”

“Fifth time this week,” Fishlegs shrugged, but he didn’t look anything but fond. “Can we come in? It’s freezing out here.”

Astrid laughed, standing aside to let them in. Her owl, Stormfly, had settled herself on the perch nearby the door, but flew above Hiccup’s head when he walked in. The other teens, all with their different animals, looked up as they wondered in.

“Wow, what a fashion statement, Princess,” Snotlout immediately snorted, looking Hiccup up and down with a raised brow. “You decide you wanna hide that stick figure of yours?”

Hiccup sighed, but simply ignored him. For the rest of the night while his friends teased him in their own ways, he couldn’t find it in himself to be mad at Fishlegs, or even annoyed. He burrowed deeper into the hoodie, smiling to himself as he did so.

Fishlegs looked at his best friend and felt his heart swell. He’d never understand why Hiccup was the way he was, but one thing was certain. He’d protect the boy with everything he had.


	2. Astrid - Headband

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Her glare died, however, when she noticed how… pretty he looked with the circlet on. His hair was tousled almost perfectly to suit it, green eyes blinking and freckled cheeks pulled up into a soft smile. She felt her cheeks redden, and turned away, grabbing her book.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> astrid's turn
> 
> also i tried to describe it best i could without making it too weird or ooc
> 
> there's a bit of hiccstrid in this, but not a lot
> 
> enjoy!

Astrid Hofferson was a strong-willed woman, always determined to get her own way and never willing to drop anything she could win.

That being said, there was one person who managed to break through her walls and win her affection no matter how much she tried to fight it.

Hiccup Haddock was a thin, twig of a boy. He was clumsy, too snarky and loved to irritate people to no end. He had the stubbornness of his father – who Astrid was _very_ familiar with, considering the Hoffersons and Haddocks were friends – and the mouth of his mother, apparently. She had heard Stoick complaining about his son’s tendencies to get himself into trouble with just a few words.

Apart from all that, she barely gave him any thought.

Until recently.

She had noticed Hiccup and Fishlegs – another boy who she vaguely knew – were hanging around together more, and it made her curious. They were both nerds (according to Snotlout) but they rarely even acknowledged each other. But now they were attached at the hip, geeking out over whatever it was they were into.

Everyday she would watch the Haddock boy, wondering what it was about him that made her more and more curious. Until she noticed his drawings.

She had been talking and walking with Ruffnut Thorston, when she noticed something in Snotlout’s hands. She had stalked over to him, taken it out of his hands and flicked through it. The drawings in it were incredible, not that she’d ever admit it, and looked lifelike. Most of them were of a black cat, some of Fishlegs and his new dog, but there was one at the back that surprised her.

It was a drawing of her.

When she had asked Snotlout who it belonged to, he had simply laughed and asked “who do you think? Useless drew them.”

She eventually rolled her eyes and stalked off, dropping the sketchbook off with Fishlegs with the message “tell Hiccup to be more careful”.

She had thought that was the end of it and her mind would finally stop thinking about him. But Hiccup wasn’t the type to let things go.

He had tracked her down for weeks, attempting to pull her into a conversation. But she had always refused, though she wasn’t entirely sure why. She eventually relented when he showed up at her house, blabbering about something to show her.

He brought her to a small fenced area near her house, and she could clearly see a small owl laying on the ground, it’s wing covered in blood and bright blue eyes looking up at her.

He had tried telling her he found it on his way over, but she silenced him by gently picking up the owl and turning to him, asking him to help her look after it. For a few days they did, and she got to know him better than she ever had.

It turns out he was funny, charming and kind. He helped her until the owl – which she had dubbed Stormfly because of the cloud-shaped plumage on its wings – was healthy enough to fly. When Stormfly didn’t want to leave, however, he laughed and said Astrid must have won her over. But Astrid knew better.

Fast-forward to the present, Astrid was glad that she had befriended Hiccup those fateful few days. He turned out to be a good friend, always dropping his own tasks in order to help others. He eventually managed to convince the others to like him too, and they became a tight-knit group, often hanging out with each other whenever they could.

Like now, as she struggled to finish her assignment for Home Economics. The others were with her, doing their own things and just enjoying each other’s company. Ruffnut and Tuffnut were currently trying to see who was strongest with an arm wrestling competition (which worried the others because they tended to get quite violent with each other), Snotlout was doing his homework with Fishleg’s help (despite being angry about it, he knew what Spitelout would do if he failed) and Hiccup was sketching in his book (a new one which he was recently gifted by Mrs Hofferson for his birthday). She was tasked with making a piece of clothing she always wore, and decided to go with the _circlet_ she wore around her head (Hiccup called it a headband, but she knew he was wrong).

However, she couldn’t quite get the measurements right on her own head, so she needed help.

“Hiccup,” she called, making said boy (and the others) look at her. “C’mere a sec. Need your tiny, coconut-shaped noggin.”

He blinked, watching her for a moment before standing up and wondering over, prosthetic leg clicking against his shoe. “What’s up?”

Without giving him a moment of hesitation, she plopped her new circlet on his head, taming his unruly hair as best she could. She fixed it so it sat under his bangs, matching hers.

“Oooh, cool accessory, Hiccup,” Ruff commented, tearing herself away from her twin and looking over at them.

Snotlout snorted. “I think it makes him look like a _girl_ ,” he said, laughing. He quickly quietened at Astrid’s glare. “Well, as girlish as he already is.”

“I think it suits him, actually. Makes him look like a warrior,” Fishlegs piped up, ever the mediator.

Hiccup gave a smile at his best friend, before turning to Astrid. “Is this for your home ec assignment?” he asked, unperturbed at being a model. In fact, Astrid thought he looked delighted by it.

“Yeah, can’t measure my own head,” she grinned, writing down the measurements. It seemed almost perfect, it made her happy. “You make a good model, Haddock,” she added, punching him on the arm. He gave a yelp, rubbing his limb with a half-hearted glare.

“Why doesn’t she ever use us as models?” Tuffnut grumbled.

“I don’t think I can make a circlet-“

“ _Headband_ ”

“-big enough,” Astrid finished, throwing a glare towards Hiccup when he interrupted her. She knew it was an argument she doubted she’d ever win. She was stubborn, but Hiccup was even worse. She was kind of proud of him, but she’d never tell him that.

Her glare died, however, when she noticed how… _pretty_ he looked with the circlet on. His hair was tousled almost perfectly to suit it, green eyes blinking and freckled cheeks pulled up into a soft smile. She felt her cheeks redden, and turned away, grabbing her book.

“Alright, smart arse,” she grumbled, trying not to let him see her cheeks. “You can keep that, but only if you model it for me in class tomorrow.”

He ended up agreeing, a bit confused when she simply hit him again. She’d never let him know just how much her ‘curiosity’ had grown (more of a crush, now). But she did notice that he did keep the circlet, sometimes wearing it when they hung out with the others.

It made her happy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> please leave a comment! thanks for reading!
> 
> tumblr: misguidedstars


	3. Twins - Wristlet + Vest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hiccup was a pacifist, the complete opposite of them. He didn’t like death, pain or destruction and tried to fight against every single one of their wishes for the day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the twins turn! 
> 
> the wristlet is sorta based on the one tuff wears on his upper arm in rtte and the vest is a long, brown fur vest that ruff wears a lot
> 
> i'm sorry if the twins are ooc! this is my first time writing them but i tried to do my best :)

At first, Hiccup didn’t get along with Tuffnut and Ruffnut Thorston at all.

Once he had befriended Astrid, she had suggested to them that they should try talking to him, that he wasn’t as weak or rude as she originally thought (which she added that he was never to find out she said that, upon pain of death).

But they didn’t like him at all.

Hiccup was a pacifist, the complete opposite of them. He didn’t like death, pain or destruction and tried to fight against every single one of their wishes for the day. They ended up getting irritated at him, leaving him behind as they worked on a new prank to play on their mathematics teacher (who already hated them).

The prank was simple, really. They were going to drop a tub of water balloons filled with coins on top of their teacher when he walked into the classroom. It worked, and it was exciting, but then their teacher was yelling at them and forcing them out into the hallway and telling them to see the principal.

Feeling eyes on them, they noticed Hiccup staring at them with disappointment in his gaze.

The principal had seemed even more angry than the teacher, which the twins didn’t really get why. But he was, and he was screaming, and the twins knew that he had probably had enough of them.

But then Hiccup had burst into the room, claiming that the prank was his idea.

He convinced the principal and the teacher, getting himself into trouble. But the twins realised that that was what he wanted. He had gotten them out of trouble and safe, despite what they had done.

They had gone home that night, not knowing how to feel.

“What… is this I’m feeling?” Tuff had growled, gripping at his chest with a clenched fist. He threw his backpack onto the floor of their shared bedroom and slunk onto his bed. “I feel _bad_. I hate it.”

Ruff had dropped to the floor, wanting nothing more than to bash her head against the floor. “You said it brother,” she groaned. Realistically, she knew Hiccup got off a bit easier since it was his first ‘transgression’, but she couldn’t stop thinking about what he had done.

Tuff was in a similar thought. He knew that Hiccup had stopped them from getting expelled, almost at the cost of his own education. And while he and Ruff didn’t care about school, they knew Hiccup did.

The twins had then talked to Astrid, who told them what they were feeling was called ‘guilt’. And that they needed to make it up to Hiccup.

And so they had, finding out what his favourite drink was (warm, sugary milk) and giving him some every morning. They hung out with him more, got to know him like Astrid and Fishlegs did (although they kept the pranks up, keeping it lowkey).

Eventually the twins had become protective of Hiccup (though they didn’t show it), especially when he helped teach them how to look after their pet snakes – Barf and Belch – that they rescued from being roadkill. They thanked him by offering to look after Toothless (which he denied for some rude reason).

Which was why, flash forward a few months later, they were walking him to school. He had been bullied lately (not by Snotlout, the boy had finally learned that Hiccup wasn’t a bad guy), and they were determined to keep him safe.

“This is nice and all, but I don’t need an escort,” Hiccup grumbled, arms crossed. His satchel was hanging off of Tuffnut’s shoulder, much to his dismay. He had no idea why the twins were being weird, but he had a feeling it was because of his complaints to Snotlout and Astrid the other night.

Ruffnut laughed, throwing an arm roughly over Hiccup’s shoulders. She and Tuffnut were taller than him, which wasn’t surprising given his stature, but it was annoying. “Sure you do, idiot. You won’t be hurt again!”

“And think about it H,” Tuffnut added, moving to Hiccup’s other side. “When we find out who those vile human beings are, we can _DESTROY_ them!”

Hiccup shrieked, pulling away from them and stopping in front of them, his hands held out. “No one is _destroying_ anyone today!” he exclaimed, eyes narrowed. “Got it?”

The twins looked at each other, sighing as they looked back at him – both equally disappointed. “Fine, fine, you’re the boss,” Tuff grumbled, gesturing his sister ahead. She, unfortunately had science when Tuff and Hiccup had Gym. “I wanted to give you something,” Tuffnut said once his sister had disappeared.

Hiccup opened his mouth to ask what it was, when Tuffnut slipped the wristlet he _always_ wore on his wrist, off and onto Hiccup’s right wrist. “If they give you shit again, show them that,” he said, knowing that everyone knew he wore it every day. It was similar to Astrid’s circlet.

“Tuff-“

“Nuh- don’t wanna hear it,” Tuffnut grinned, his serious side gone. “You can give it back once they stop harassing you, obviously you’re not gonna keep it. Now come on, Snotlout always falls over when we throw balls at him,” the male Thorston laughed, wrapping an arm around Hiccup’s thin shoulders and pulling him towards the school entrance. “Highlight of my day, really.”

\---

Ruffnut didn’t have a wristlet to give him, and she wasn’t actually angry at all when she found out Tuffnut had given his to Hiccup.

“I kinda expected him to,” she had said, shrugging and gulping down her sandwich in one go. “I’m just jealous he did it first. Stupid brother.”

And that brought them to the current situation, which Ruffnut holding out her fur vest in front of Hiccup as soon as he left his house.

“Uh- Ruff?”

“Take it,” she almost growled, eyes narrowed. “I cant give you a wristlet- cause I don’t own any- but this is something I do own and wear a lot. If you wear it, those bullies will stay away.”

She didn’t give him much more warning than that, grabbing his arms and forcing the vest onto him, keeping a hold on him despite his struggles. Once she had the vest on him, her anger ebbed away and the familiar Thorston grin reached her face.

Looking at Hiccup, dressed in her fur vest over top of his favourite green shirt, she figured he actually looked _cute_. Not that she’d ever tell him. “There. They’ll know not to mess with you now,” she nodded, proud of herself.

“Ruff-“

“C’mon, we’re gonna be late! Tuff is gonna beat us there!” she yelled, tuning him out as she took his hand and ran towards school, pulling him along after her. But surprisingly, he didn’t end up minding.

They ended up beating Tuffnut but just barely. And it turned into a competition between the twins over who could protect Hiccup the best.

(Astrid eventually ended up sneaking Hiccup away to safety before they could start playing tug-of-war with him).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> not sure if you could tell lol but i dont know how to prank ppl so sorry if it seemed a bit shit lmao


	4. Snotlout - Jacket

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Maybe he was talking about a different Snotlout,” Hiccup soothed, putting the icepack in Snotlout’s hand so he could deal with it himself. “You never know. Maybe Tuff knows more than one Snotlout.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> snotlout and his jacket finally make an appearance
> 
> i'm sorry if hes ooc! this chapter was hard to write but i'm hoping it was good! 
> 
> enjoy <3

Snotlout and Hiccup were cousins, but they were basically strangers.

Despite growing up together and seeing each other often enough, the two never got along and Snotlout _always_ ended up being a bully to Hiccup. Whether it was about Hiccup’s size, his lack of strength, inability to let anything or anyone get hurt, or anything else, he always found something to pick on.

But now, that was starting to change.

Snotlout wasn’t entirely sure what had happened, but he and Hiccup were being forced once again to hang out. Spitelout had made it known how much he thought Hiccup was nothing but a weakling, but now Snotlout was being forced to _hang out_ with the kid.

“I hate you,” Snotlout growled, eyes narrowed at the teen walking in front of him.

Hiccup sighed, for the umpteenth time. “I’m aware, Snotlout.”

“Then why,” the bigger boy snarled, “are you going along with this stupid idea? It’s just going to end the same as always. Dad and Uncle Stoick are idiots for thinking that me and you being together is a good idea.”

“Careful you don’t say that to their faces.”

“I-“ Snotlout almost screamed, but stopped. He had to calm down, getting mad at Hiccup might be fun but he still had to spend time with him. “Shut up, Useless.”

Hiccup sighed again, but otherwise kept quiet. The two were on a “walk” to the nearby creek. It was more of a lake in between two hilled walk-ways, but nonetheless it’s a creek. Spitelout was the one to suggest it, saying that bonding time might help them overcome their differences.

Yeah, right. Snotlout thought there was more chance of lightning striking him rather than them becoming friends. But he wanted to make his father happy, so he had dragged Hiccup out and suggested they go for a walk.

“What about down there?” Hiccup asked, breaking Snotlout out of his thoughts as he pointed to a spot near the bottom of the creek.

“Yeah, sure, whatever,” Snotlout grumbled, pushing past the smaller boy to start climbing down the rocks. He felt one move slightly underneath him but didn’t think anything of it. He just wanted to explore, to get this over with.

The storm that hit the town a few days ago was still lingering, if the wet rocks and dark clouds were anything to go by, but Snotlout didn’t care. Rain meant nothing to him, he used to go out in the rain as a kid and use it as a shower.

“Come on, Useless!” he called, climbing down recklessly to the bottom.

He heard Hiccup following, but the footsteps stopped soon after, forcing him to look up at his cousin in annoyance. “What’s wrong now?”

“I don’t think its actually all that safe,” he said, biting his lip with worry. Something that annoyed Snotlout a lot. “We should find another way down.”

Snotlout rolled his eyes, having expected this to happen. “No, you can chicken out all you want but I’m heading down this way,” he said, continuing down the path. The rocks rumbled beneath him as the rain started, but he wasn’t worried.

Until the ground gave out beneath him.

Letting out a yell, he threw his arms up and braced himself for the fall. But it never came. Instead, he felt something grab his arm, and he looked up to find Hiccup on his knees, one hand on a rock next to him and the other gripping Snotlout’s arm tightly. The rain made things very slippery, which he could tell by the fact that Hiccup’s hand seemed like it was struggling to keep the rock in it.

“Dammit, Hiccup, let go! You’re going to fall!” he yelled, struggling to find a way to help himself up.

Hiccup, meanwhile, was struggling to pull him up, but he wouldn’t let go. Snotlout could see his knees starting to bleed from the pressure of being on mini rocks and rough ground and a small cut on his upper arm from where a rock must have hit him. “Not leaving you behind, ‘Lout!”

Snotlout groaned, but used Hiccup’s added strength to slowly pull himself back up again. While he wouldn’t have died if he hit the creek, he could have gravely injured himself. And it was that thought that spurred him into action.

He used up all the strength in his arms and legs, thanking his football training as It made it a lot easier to get himself up. Eventually, he made it onto stable ground and Hiccup let go, throwing himself back when the added weight of Snotlout left his arms. However, his bigger cousin caught him before he could hit the ground, and he allowed himself to relax.

Both boys were soaked to the bone, shaken up and in disbelief of what had just happened, and yet all they could do was laugh.

“Fuck,” Snotlout breathed, the chuckles eventually subsiding. “You may have just saved my life.”

Hiccup gave a small smile at that. “I’m glad I did,” he said honestly, shocking Snotlout by not bragging (like he would have done had it been the other way around). “I like having you around.”

Not knowing what to say about that, Snotlout stood up on shaky legs, taking in Hiccup’s blood-covered knees and pale skin, and held his hand out. “Lets get you home before Stoick freaks out.”

And that’s why Snotlout didn’t mind Hiccup as much now.

The boy helped him with his homework and was decent company, and Snotlout found himself feeling oddly close to him ever since their ‘bonding moment’ those months ago.

“I’m going to _kill_ Tuffnut when I see him,” Snotlout growled, rubbing his head. He groaned when he felt an ice pack touching the bruise on his head, and knew Hiccup had finally come back from the nurse with something to help him.

Hiccup simply smiled, holding the ice-pack to Snotlout’s head in an attempt to get the bruising down. “I’m sure he didn’t mean to.”

“He yelled ‘die Snotlout die!’ at me when he threw it!”

“Maybe he was talking about a different Snotlout,” Hiccup soothed, putting the icepack in Snotlout’s hand so he could deal with it himself. “You never know. Maybe Tuff knows more than one Snotlout.”

Snotlout snorted at that, but felt his anger dissipating a bit. “If he does then I’ll beat him into oblivion,” he promised, but he knew Hiccup knew he was joking. He looked down at Hiccup’s wrist, noticing Tuffnut’s wristlet was hanging off of Hiccup’s small wrist. “Why do you have that?”

Hiccup blinked, looking down at his wrist, before looking up at Snotlout with a shrug. “He gave it to me to keep my ‘fans’ away,” he said, using air quotation marks at ‘fans’. Snotlout knew what he meant, he knew Hiccup had been bullied for the last month or so, but the boy had finally confided in his friends. “Dunno why, but I couldn’t say no to him.”

Snotlout frowned, eyes focusing on the wristlet again, before looking back up at his cousin.

“And now I need to go,” Hiccup said, sliding his satchel over his shoulders and turning to Snotlout. “I promised dad I’d leave during my free period to grab him some meat for tonight’s dinner. Unfortunately, that’s now,” Hiccup shuddered, remembering his last trip to the butcher. The large, burly man did not like him at all.

“Fine, don’t keep _Stoick the Vast_ waiting,” Snotlout grinned, faking a grand Scottish accent at Stoick’s name. “I’m sure Astrid will remember to hold a funeral for you.”

“Thank you, Snotlout, for your undying support,” Hiccup said dryly, rolling his eyes. But he did offer a small wave as he left the room.

\---

The next day, Snotlout found himself waiting outside the Haddock residence, his football jacket in his hands.

He had gotten up early, asking his mother to keep Hookfang – his small salamander – entertained for the morning while he did what he had set out to do.

Just as he was about to text his stupid cousin to hurry the hell up, Hiccup stumbled out of the door, apparently still waking up if the sleepy look in his eyes and his messy hair was anything to go by. Perfect. “Hiccup!” he yelled, running up to his cousin.

Hiccup blinked, looking up at Snotlout. “Huh? ‘Lout?”

“That stupid bracelet won’t keep those assholes away,” he said, completely stumbling over Hiccup’s confused question. “Everyone knows I’m the strongest kid in school, so if they know you’re with me then they know you’re not to be messed with.”

“Ohhkay, good morning to you too, Snotlout,” Hiccup breathed, moving past the bigger boy and beginning the walk to school. “Did Hookfang bite you in his sleep again?”

“Not this time!” Snotlout boasted proudly, momentarily forgetting why he had come to walk with Hiccup. “But that’s not the point-! I wanted to give you something.”

 _That_ got Hiccup’s attention. He stopped, turning to look at Snotlout with a raised eyebrow. “What? Is this a prank? You didn’t even get me anything for my birthday.”

Snotlout rolled his eyes, hating how dense the other boy could be for how smart he was. “No, you idiot. Here,” he thrust his jacket into Hiccup’s arms, forcing the boy to take it. “If you wear that, those assholes won’t bother you anymore.”

“Snotlout I can’t-“

“I will force it on you and staple it to your skin if you don’t.”

Hiccup blinked, before biting his lip and sliding the jacket on. Snotlout was quite _beefy_ and the jacket was quite big on Hiccup, but surprisingly nice and warm. The footballer nodded, a sense of pride swelling in his chest at the sight of his cousin in the footballer’s jacket. Maybe he should convince Hiccup to tryout next year.

But for now though, he simply nudged his cousin’s shoulder and continued to school, chattering idly while he did so.

Of course people at school noticed, and a week later Hiccup tried to give Snotlout his jacket back and saying that it worked, but Snotlout forced him to keep it.

Better to be safe than sorry.


	5. Hiccup - Patches

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “What do you think, bud?” he turned to his cat, who was lounging on the side of his desk, holding up the items to show. “Think they’ll like it?”
> 
> Toothless mewed back, eyes wide. Hiccup knew that Toothless was agreeing, saying that they would, and he took that as a win.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> whoop! last chapter!  
> hope y'all liked this, it was hard to write lmao  
> enjoy the chapter! thank you for sticking around for it!

_Patches_

Hiccup was thankful for his friends, but they had been almost unbearable recently.

He wasn’t used to people caring about him or worrying about him, especially his cousin or the twins with their insisting on him wearing things that belonged to them. Astrid and Fishlegs tended to be more open about how they felt about him (although Astrid often followed it up with violence) but the others did not.

The only indication he had that they liked him was that their taunts had become more friendly and less hurtful (like Snotlout avoiding using ‘useless’ and the twins no longer pulling pranks on him unless they checked with Astrid first).

He was invited to a lot of their gatherings and they actually sought him out at school to talk to him or drag him to lunch if he was intent on “forgetting” to eat (it wasn’t his fault he was easily distracted or struck by inspiration, thank you very much _Fishlegs_ ).

Which is why right now, he didn’t mind pulling a few all-nighters to get his “gifts” done. Snotlout was holding a video game tournament in the Jorgensen residence thanks to a new competition he and Tuffnut had come up with. Hiccup didn’t really have an interest in playing, but it was a good opportunity to get his art assignment done. He also knew Toothless was missing Stormfly and Meatlug, even if the cat would rather eat his own tail than show it. 

He held the small items up to eye level, smiling with pride at how they turned out. He didn’t actually like to brag all that much about anything, but right now with how little sleep he had gotten over the past two days and how much he had isolated himself, all he felt was pride.

“What do you think, bud?” he turned to his cat, who was lounging on the side of his desk, holding up the items to show. “Think they’ll like it?”

Toothless mewed back, eyes wide. Hiccup knew that Toothless was agreeing, saying that they would, and he took that as a win. There were times when Toothless would disagree with him, especially when he put himself in danger.

“I think I have a few hours left until they need me there, gives me time to get started on my actual school work,” Hiccup grinned, rolling up his sleeves as he turned to the small wooden dragon statue he had to finish for his woodwork class.

\---

“Hiccup!” Fishleg’s nasally voice called out, and Hiccup had barely enough warning before the bigger boy was grabbing him and pulling him into a tight hug. “It’s good to see you out of your house! We were really getting worried.”

Hiccup bit back a sarcastic retort, knowing that Fishlegs at least deserved the hug. He had cut off his friends in order to get his gifts finished in time, but it wasn’t the first time he had isolated himself. Fishlegs had gotten the hint that if Hiccup wasn’t heard from for more than 48 hours, then it meant he had lost himself to his work.

Instead, he smiled and patted Fishlegs’ back gently. “Sorry, ‘Legs. I got caught up in something again,” he said, feeling thankful that he was back on the ground. He fixed the circlet on his head, the one Astrid gave him, and made sure his satchel remained intact.

He currently had every item his friends had given him on, apart from Snotlout’s jacket which remained slung over his satchel. He was sure he looked strange but he found himself not minding, especially since he knew his friends wouldn’t care.

“Come on, I’m sure Meatlug and Toothless are wanting to catch up with Stormfly and the reptiles,” Hiccup encouraged, grabbing Fishlegs’ arm and pulling him along to Snotlout’s house.

\---

When they arrived, Hiccup was already feeling the effects of no sleep for over three days and was trying his best to keep his sluggishness hidden. He wasn’t entirely sure if Fishlegs could tell, but the bigger boy showed no signs of it.

The two were invited inside by Spitelout, who had given Hiccup in particular a very rough hug. His uncle, like Snotlout, had come to like him to a point after the two boys had gotten back from their “bonding moment”. Spitelout, however, only showed affection in the form of tight hugs or rough back pats, and Hiccup learned very early on to brace himself for all encounters with the man.

They found out that they were the last ones to arrive, and after letting Toothless and Meatlug run outside to play with the other pets, the two boys joined their friends in the Jorgensen living room.

Fishlegs immediately dived for the snacks, forcing Astrid to begrudgingly share her all meat platter with him, while Hiccup merely sat himself down on the ground between Snotlout and Tuffnut. They seemed to be going head to head in Super Smash Bros. so he simply watched.

“So, wanna tell us why you didn’t talk to anyone for three days?” Ruffnut piped up from her position in the arm chair next to the fireplace. “Cause, y’know, disappearing tends to make people worry. Not us. Astrid definitely worried.”

Astrid threw a piece of salami at the female Thorston, which Ruffnut caught with her mouth and a grin.

“I promise I had a good reason,” Hiccup laughed, watching Tuffnut lose quite badly against Snotlout. “I’ll tell you after these two finish this match.”

While he watched, he slipped off Fishlegs’ hoodie and Ruffnut’s vest, keeping them both in his lap instead of tossing them aside. He kept up the small talk with Ruffnut and Astrid, with Fishlegs adding his own two cents every few minutes.

Eventually the match finished with Snotlout as the victor, which caused Tuffnut to scream out that the other boy had cheated. Snotlout didn’t let it get to him, instead boasting about his Switch skills. Before the two could start another match, however, Hiccup brought all their attention to him.

“Uh- before you guys continue, I have something,” he said, holding his satchel to his chest. His friends were aware of his love for art and his art supplies, but this was something he kept from them for a while now. “I have presents.”

“Oh! I love presents!” Tuffnut cheered, his attention fully on Hiccup now. “It better be something destructive, H.”

“Definitely not,” Astrid hissed, eyes narrowing at the male Thorston. “Hiccup is not like that, even if you want him to be.”

Hiccup rolled his eyes, but his grin never left his face once. “It’s nothing bad, just something I’ve been working on for the past week,” he said, pulling out the presents from his satchel. “Actually this is the first time I’ve given anything I’ve made out so-“

“No making fun of you,” Fishlegs finished for him, nodding.

“Yeah,” he laughed, albeit a bit more nervously now. His hands covered the small gifts, unsure if he wanted to go along with it anymore. But there was no going back now, so he simply stood up – making sure to not stumble – and went around to each of the teens.

He started with Fishlegs, handing him the first small gift. “You were the first human to really be my friend, ‘Legs. Thanks for that,” he said sincerely, his cheeks reddening at the attention his friends were giving him. He ignored the others though, removing his hand from the gift to allow Fishlegs to see what he had made.

It was a small patch – as were the others – but it was decorated with a drawing of Meatlug and Fishlegs, the two hugging each other and smiling. Fishlegs blinked, looking at it for a moment, before looking up at his friend. “Hiccup-“ he broke off, pulling the smaller boy into a hug. “Thank you!”

Once he was let go, Hiccup simply smiled down at him. He moved onto Astrid next, holding out the girl’s patch to her. “Astrid, as much as the violence sometimes tends to be a bit much, you’ve been an amazing friend to me too,” he said, a teasing lilt to his voice. “And I like you a lot.”

Astrid’s patch had her and Stormfly on it, the small owl sitting in Astrid’s hair with the girl laughing with pure joy. She loved it, showing her gratitude by ruffling his hair and giving him a peck on the cheek.

Once she had sat back down, he moved to the twins, handing them their patches. Ruffnut’s patch was her and Barf, with the snake curled around her wrist. Tuffnut’s was him with Belch, his snake instead moving up his arm.

“Ruff, Tuff, I really don’t know how we became friends,” Hiccup started, tilting his head slightly. “But I’m glad we did. And thank you for helping with my little… problem. I really appreciate you two a lot,” he finished.

The twins looked at each other, then looked back up at him with matching grins. “Aw H, you’re gonna make us cry,” Tuff sniffed. He and Ruff pulled Hiccup into a hug, before letting him go quickly. He understood, he knew they didn’t want to show anymore than that.

So he moved to his cousin, handing over the last patch in his hands. It was of Snotlout with his salamander – Hookfang – with the two playing together. It was a lot lighter than Hookfang’s usual ‘playing’ but he figured Snotlout would appreciate it more.

“You’re giving me one too?” Snotlout asked, before Hiccup could say anything.

Hiccup nodded, kneeling down in front of his cousin so they were eyelevel. “Well yeah, I told you ‘Lout, I like having you around. I thought you’d like one too.”

That made Snotlout’s cheeks redden in embarrassment, but the boy seemed happy. “Yeah, yeah I do. It’s kinda cool actually,” he said, looking down at the patch for the moment. But then he looked up again, punching Hiccup lightly in the shoulder. “For a princess, that is.”

Hiccup allowed himself to laugh a bit, shaking his head. “Alright, alright. Now weren’t you and Tuff meant to be settling this stupid competition?”

“Oh hell yes!” Tuff cheered, moving back into his spot and grabbing the controller. “I want a rematch, big guy.”

“Come on,” Snotlout groaned, pushing the controller into Hiccup’s hands. “You can take this one, Cuz. I need a break.”

And it was with a squeak of laughter and avoiding Snotlout stepping on him that Hiccup realised something.

He had the bestest friends in the world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> let me know if you guys want more stories for this universe? maybe send me prompts if you're interested? i'd love to write more!
> 
> tumblr: misguidedstars

**Author's Note:**

> please leave comments! i love hearing what y'all think of what ive written :) 
> 
> tumblr: misguidedstars


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